Pinellas County Commission approves funds to expand vote-by-mail efforts

The Pinellas County Commission unanimously and without discussion approved a request for a special budget appropriation that will help expand vote-by-mail efforts, and provide pre-paid postage to all voters.

The request for $596,922 from Pinellas County Supervisor of Election Julie Marcus will cover a number of expenses associated with voting by mail. They include:

• Mailing notices to voters affected by a change in polling place locations. To date, 12 polling places are unavailable due for reasons related to COVID-19.
• Mailing notices to every voter who doesn’t have a mail ballot request on file to inform them that voting by mail is an option for those who prefer to cast their ballots from the safety of their homes. Voters can use this option to return the postcard, which includes prepaid postage.
• Paying for return postage on mail ballots to eliminate any barriers for voters who wish to vote by mail during the primary election. Return postage for mail ballots for the general election has already been included in Marcus’s 2021 budget.

The CARES Act allocated $400 million in election assistance for states, and Pinellas County anticipates receiving some of the funding. To the extent it’s possible, any grant funds received will be used to reimburse Pinellas County.

Vote-by-mail initiatives are gaining in popularity as COVID-19 cases continue to grow. Five states – Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington and Utah – automatically send all registered voters mail-in ballots. In May, at least 67 Wisconsin residents contracted COVID-19 after voting in person or working at the polls.